We could be dead in the second
by FrenchJuliett
Summary: A/U gang fic. Panda and her best mates , Effy & Emily, work on a bank. One day, a man take all the bank employees & clients in hostage.  One decision can tumble their whole lives...
1. Bad Day

We could be dead in the second

1 : Bad Day.

**Hello, so please read, tell me what you think of it, if I must continue or not. ****Sorry if I make grammaticals mistakes, I'm french ;)**

Pandora felt it since the beginning of this day that's something was going wrong.

She felt it since she woke up puting the left feet on the ground.

Since she bumped to her kitchen wall. Since she saw there was no coffee.

«_ Bloomin'eck _» she sighed, trying to not freak out.

«_ I'm calm.I'm calm _» she used to keep doing like before ,breathes slowly, like her mum teached her.

« _Well, that's minor, I'll take somethin' on the road. _» she relativized.

But, at this pucking day seems to be the worst of her entire life, Pandora did not find her car.

«_ Oh fucking hell ! Don't tell me it's been stolen again ! _» she shouts in the street in front of wondering neighbours, and just before she remembered she had left it at The Shed's Garage, because of her broken thought a few minutes before deciding she'd go walking.

Walking by, she was deeply in her thoughts, thinking of her mum who was coming to see home next week, hoped that the Garage' bill wouldn't be too expensive cause these days, though she wasn't using a lot of her money in clothes, or shoes, she didn't has so much money in her pockets. Why that ? Because redecorating her whole flat with new wallpapers, pictures, paintings and lot of stuff had cost her way much that she had planned. « _Oh !_ » she said, hit by the realisation that, added to that, she still hadn't buy a gift for a best friend, Effy , whose birthday was in only two days.

She hadn't time to think about it cause she was arrived in front of her workplace, the Treasure Bank of Bristol. She looked at her watch, and sighed when she saw it was already 9.15. She was late by a quarter, and though it wasn't much, her boss wouldn't appreciate it.

And she was right. When she arrived, Effy Stonem, the manager of the Bank was frowning, and didn't seems really pleased. Cause yes, her best friend was her boss. Their friendship could has suffered from it, but they didn't mind, and they, in fact, haven't reasons to worry about. Pandora was doing great her job, and Effy wasn't an horrible boss. They knew each other for a long time, since first year of college actually, so it has been about 8 years now. Though, at the beginning, people were surprised of that friendship, cause Effy was sort of THE « it-girl » of the college, brown hair, blue eyes, mysterious and Panda the kiddy virgin, but time went by, and people had given up to try to understand them.

Panda has been introduced there by Effy, and quite liked her job, even if sometimes it was a bit boring, but at least she had a few friends here so this was nice. She was a bank teller, collecting checks, helping people to find the right counsellor for their loan. She hadn't notice she was deeply in her thoughts until Effy waves her hands in front of her eyes, making her jumping. Her friend laughed, still amused by how dreamy was Panda. She again became serious, and look at Panda before saying :

« _Can you told me, please, in which world did you get lost to be late ?_ »

« _I wasn't..I just forgot that I've left my car at the garage. _» Panda answered, conscious of how ridiculous she must be.

«_ Why isn't it surprising me ?_ » smiled Effy.

« _Oh, Eff don't laugh at me, it is really messy over there _» she joked, pointing her head.

« _Yeah, like everyone_. » Effy was serious again.

Panda didn't understand her friend when she was saying mysterious sentences like that. Effy has always been sort of a mind-reader with everyone, knowing how they feel in just one look. She makes some people feel uncomfortables, and Panda could understand why.

«_ So, ready to work then Panda _? » Effy was obviously waiting for a yes.

« _Well, yeah but I haven't eat this morning so if you don't mind... _» , and to show the truth, her stomach rumbled.

« _Ah, yeah I see, let's go to the cafeteria and you'll eat some donuts_ » her friend winked.

Pandora realised that there couldn't be a day worse when the baker of the cafeteria told her : «_ Sorry, we don't have donuts anymore, Miss. _»

She ate some weird cake before going back to her desk, and sat on her chair, who was exactly in front of the door of the Bank.

Just a few minutes after starting work, she was already lost in her thoughts again. She was thinking of loads, whatever people could think about her and her cleverness. She wasn't only a kiddy dreamy little girl. She was 24 years old, and her life wasn't a dream.

The job part was fine, the friends part was fine too, she hadn't lot of friends, but a few that she know she could call anytime, and that was enough for her. The love part was the one who wasn't really fine, in fact, no fine at all actually. Of course, she has had boyfriends and all that stuff, but she hadn't found a real one that matters. She was hoping everyday that she may meet an amazing boy who'd fall in love with her and want to build a future. But she hasn't met one guy like that for the moment.

Well, she did, but it was a long time ago. His name was Thomas, he was coming from Congo, and they fell in love in the end of the first year of college. He was the only one who'd made her feel amazingly comfortable, and really loved.

She was having a naive smile while thinking about it. She suddenly got back to the reality because of an old lady who was strucking her cane on the floor, looking annoyed.

« _Oh sorry, madam. Why can I do for you ?_ » Panda said, and all what she was thinking about was gone.

« _At least ! It's a shame old ladies like me have to wait so much just because of a dreamy teller who is paid for doing nothing useful... So I'd like you to …. _» Panda sighed, thinking that it was really a bad day.

Before noticing hours had went on, Panda saw on her watch it was already lunch break. She always liked that hour during which she could discuss with Effy and some took her badge off, and walked towards the cafeteria. There, she met Effy, and another co-worker, who was one of their best friend, Emily Fitch. She had been in college with them, and fastly became one of their closest mates. She has been introduced too in the Bank by Effy, and was a bank advisor, in charge of choosing the right loans for people, and to check if they were paying their montly repayments. It was a harder job than Panda's, but Emily was doing it right.

Emily smiled when she saw Pandora arriving, she never really had understood how this girl could be so happy all the time with no reasons, but it was pretty cool, cause when you were talking to her, you were stopping being sad. The three of them settled at one table, waiting for the food they've ordered. Each one was waiting for the others to start the conversation. No one was daring. Finally, Effy asked a question to Emily :

«-_ So Ems, how is it going with that girl you're hanging out...Mary ?_ »

Emily was gay, and everyone knew about it, especially some male co-workers she had refused to hang out with.

«- _Well, actually, I don't think I'm gonna see her again.. _» said Emily, looking at her knees.

«-_ What ?_ » Effy reacted in the second. She was very concerned by her mates lifes, and liked to know everything. «_ Why that ?_ »

«- _Well, we've been at a party last night, and I didn't know Katie was there...and drunk. When she saw me, she yelled that I should 'stop hanging around with my lezza-one-night-stands.'. I know she didn't really mean it but, Mary obviously didn't took her happily. She went back home, and hadn't called me since. But I understand.. _»

«- _What a mess ! I'm sorry for you, but I know noone can control Katie when she's drunk..._ »

Katie and Effy had been mates at college, and even more than friends..but Effy didn't want to talk about it, she was just spilling some words like that... Emily and Panda knew it was an subject about they'll never talk with Effy.

« - _I'm sorry for you too, Emsy. Maybe she'll call later _» tried Panda with an hesitant smile.

« _Yeah...maybe.. _» answered her red-haired friend.

There was an short silence, broken by the cook who brought them what they ordered.

« _Thank you !_ » said a grateful Panda.« _Thanks, mate_ » said Emily with a smile. Effy just nodded at him.

The cook's name was JJ, for Jonas Jeremiah, and he had been at their college too, though they never really spoke at this time. He was one of the guys who fancied Emily, Panda even thought he may be in love with her. He was nice, but a bit stressed, and hang out with them sometimes.

They ate their lunch without a word, and then everyone gots back to their didn't has the time to think this afternoon, lots of people were queueing in front of her desk, and she know she wouldn't be able to take a little break. Once it was a bit calmer, Panda takes a few minutes to stretch her arms, and decided to go and take a coffee. Walking in the corridor, she crossed a thinking Effy who didn't even noticed her. Weird, thought Panda, Effy was never so deeply in her thoughts to stop care about the world. Curious, Panda decided to go to her best friend's office, to see who was able to make Effy so thoughtful and nervous.

It only took her a few steps to be in front of it. She put herself in a blind spot where she could see the client without being seen. When she saw him, she knew why Effy was nervous. He wasn't anyone, he was the guy with who Effy has had the longest relationship in her life. He was black haired, looking cute even in is dungarees. His name was Freddie Mc Clair, and he was the director of the Shed's Garage. He had to be here for some work reason obviously, but he looked as thoughtful as Effy. They had broke up only less than a year ago, so Panda could understand why they were both in that condition.

She realised she had been off for a coffee, not for staring at some Effy's ex. She continued her way to the cafeteria, and chose a black coffee, which, she was hoping, would be help her concentrate on her just had the time to drink it, that another client was in front of her. Let's go then, she thought.

Panda only noticed what hour it was when she watch at her watch, waiting for he next client. Client who won't be coming because the bank would close soon. She began to tidy her desk, took her bag, and let her thoughts rove again.

A cold sensation on her temple makes her coming back. She put her hand on her head, noticing with a jump that someone is behind her, and the cold thing, is a gun. « Oh My... » she can't finish her sentence because the person is stiffling her with..his hand it seems. Right, so a man with a gun is behind her, what should she do ? Panda tried to calm down, but as she takes a long breath, the man behinf her, whispers something in her right ear.

« _Give me all the money. Now. And don't try to scream or I'll shoot you_ »

Panda is sure now, this day is the worst she's ever lived.

**So what do you think ? Should I continue or not ? Please REVIEW ! xx**


	2. Bad Presumption

We could be dead in the second

2, Bad Presumption

**Thanks for reading my first chapter, it makes me happy to keep writing it.**

**Special shout to moonshine1609 for being my first reviewer, hope you'll like that chapter**

**Please review if you want me to continue ;)**

When the alarm went off, Emily Fitch was doing something really_ really, _unprofessional. She was staring, for the umpteenth time in almost an hour at her client, detailing the young woman in front of her.

Emily knew that she wasn't supposed to do that but she just couldn't stop looking at that girl who was..cute. Well, that beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed, tall woman wasn't cute, she was..beautiful.

Her name was Mrs Campbell remembered Emily, but she had to look in her file once again to find the name. _Naomi. _

Whoa, thought Emily, so this girl's name was really Naomi Campbell, like the model.

It had been about an hour or so that her client was sitting here, waiting to know if she could have the loan she was asking for. She had told Emily that with that money, she'll open a bio-coffee shop, trying to convince the bank adviser that 'it was important to create a place where people could drink good coffee without avail little producers from South America'.

To tell the truth, she had almost rallied Emily to her cause and Emily smiled thinking of that.

« So, it's okay then ? » said an hopeful Mrs Campbell, making Emily come back from her thoughts.

« Well..I...erm...I have to.. » the red-haired Fitch couldn't understand why she was so nervous with that client, why she was blushing as the blue eyes were set on hers, why she had butterflies in her stomach when Campbell smiled at her.

« You need to think a bit more ? Maybe it's better you'll call me when your decision is taken.. » tried Campbell, with another hesitant smile.

« No !...erm..no, I don't need more time, my decision is taken. » answered Emily, trying to stop herself for thinking why she didn't want that beautiful blonde to go.

Emily had never mixed relationships & work. She had never flirted with a client, and she had promised herself to never did so. But today, it was different. It wasn't about flirting or what..She just couldn't help it. She couldn't help her eyes to fly over Naomi Campbell's body, she couldn't help herself being so nervous when she was looking in these blue eyes.. She was feeling trapped actually. She was feeling like that Campbell could have done anything she wanted with Emily, the latter wouldn't have made a move. Or couldn't have, in fact.

The weird thing is that that 'feeling' seemed reciprocal. Indeed, she had noticed the blue eyes flying over her body, and when she had tried to catch them, Campbell had clapped her eyes, and looked somewhere else, while biting her bottom lip, visibly nervous.

Emily only noticed that she had gone really deep in her thoughts when she felt the blue eyes on her again.

Campbell was one more time staring at her, and when she locked her eyes in Emily's , the red head had to remember to take a breath.

The beautiful blonde broke the locked-gaze, and took a long breath of fresh air, which , she hoped, could help her relax. She was feeling incredibly nervous, and she was still wondering why, because it had never happened that someone could make her feel so stressed, uncomfortable but complete in the same time, just by her gaze.

Naomi was trying to stop herself to melt because of that..Fitch, yeah that was the name of that red head with incredibly attractive chocolate eyes in front of her. It was amazing how her heart was accelerating when the other smiled. Naomi was trying to not panic, and she saw that the red head was breathing slowly to try to do the same.

It wasn't_ that _new for Naomi to be attracted or to attract a girl, she had found out that she was sort of bisexual. Yeah, sort of, cause she hated giving sexuality a label, cause for her, it was more about the person that about the gender.

But this time, it was much more than just 'being attracted ' , it was amazingly weird.

Amazing because when she was locking her eyes in the red head ones, she was just feeling chills that were going up her spine, and she was feeling happy. But weird, cause she couldn't stop wanting to meet the chocolate gaze again and again, like it was a drug or something.

And that was what was making her freaking out. Naomi, had never been dependent of anything or anyone. And that just couldn't start _now_, in the office of a bank adviser.

Everything in Naomi's life had been about not being dependent of people, she had move to her own flat at her 18, had found a job as activist in an association of ecologists, had hang out with a few people but she had never been dependent of someone, she never cared too much for that.

Even when a nice guy, ecologist as her, called Nathan had fallen in love with her, she had tried to love him back, but she just couldn't. She had a jump when the husky voice of Fitch asked her if she was okay.

_Of fuck, it is ridiculous to be nervous like that for someone I don't even know_, thought the blonde. But even if she kept repeating that in her head, she was still feeling nervous.

« So..you took your decision then.. » she tried, to stop thinking about something else that what she had came for.

« Like I just told you » answered the red head, with a smirk. Naomi didn't like people having fun of her, that's what she was usually cold with people, but this time, Fitch had seemed to detect her stress.

« So ? » she tried to concentrate on the fact that she really needed that loan to open that bio-coffee shop she'd always dreamt of.

« Well..as I saw that you were managing fine with your flat rent.., » Emily noticed that the blonde couldn't waiting much. « I decided to give you the loan you want » she finally dropped with a smile.

Immediately, she saw Naomi's eyes lighting. Oh god, she noticed that, she'd call her Naomi, and not 'Mrs Campbell', but it wasn't that bad as it was in her mind that she had made the fault.

« Really ? » Naomi just couldn't believe it.

« Yeah, really » answered Fitch with a genuine smile that made burst the blonde's heart, who couldn't help her but smile back.

« I just..need you to fill in these forms » added the red head, while handing her a few papers.

Naomi held out her hand to catch them, and accidentally brushed the red head hand.

When she felt the blonde hand, Emily couldn't think for a few seconds, just remembered that, to live, she had to breathe and took a long breath of fresh air. The butterflies were here again, flying in her stomach.

She looked at the blonde, to see if her reaction would be the same, and she wasn't surprised. Just like her, the blonde took a long breathe and clapped her eyes before coming back to the reality.

« Thanks..I'm gonna..erm..Do you..? » Naomi was feeling so ridiculous, how could her, the fiery and untouchable blonde couldn't say just three fucking words in front of that red head ?

« A pen ? Sure » smiled Fitch, handing her one. _Oh Christ, don't tell me she's a mind reader as well, _thought the blonde, trying to concentrate on the forms she had to fill.

Completing these forms was calming her down and helping her clearing her mind, and that's exactly what she needed.

Emily jumped when she heard the alarm. _Oh, fuck_, she thought. She didn't need a stupid evacuation exercise while she was already really, _really _stressed. But she didn't had the choice. She looked at her client who was still filling all the forms she needed for her loan, in fact she didn't even seem to hear the alarm.

« Erm..Mrs Campbell ? » asked Emily, with an hesitant smile

« What ? » Naomi replied in a mean tone, cause she hated being disturbed while she was concentrate.

« Erm sorry..I..I didn't meant to bother you..it's just that.. » said the red head looking very sorry, like she had made a mistake.

« No, sorry, I didn't mean to..I was just..So what's going on ? » Naomi smiled at the cuteness of the red head.

« It's just..you know..the alarm.. I think it's an exercise, we just need to..go to the main hall. » smiled back Emily, proud of saying more than 3 words without hesitating.

« Oh, right, okay..Let's go then » Naomi got up of her seat and waited for the red head to show her where she should go.

« Please follow me, Mrs Campbell. » Emily got up as well and opened the door in front of her client.

« Oh, you can call me Naomi, you know » let slip the blonde.

« Right, thanks..And you can call me Emily by the way » smiled the red head.

_Emily. _That was a cute name that fitted well the red head thought Naomi before coming back to the present and wondering why the hell she was thinking that. And why the hell she offered that woman she didn't even know one hour before to ask her by her name. However, she walked out of the office, and waited for the red head who was locking the door.

« We have to lock it, dunno the eff why.. » smiled Emily, before taking a few steps towards the hall and waving at the blonde. « This way ».

They walked a few steps, when Emily felt that something was wrong, not normal. She noticed that it was already ten past six and there wasn't much people in the hall. Nobody apart from her and the blonde actually. The thing that was weird as well that it wasn't logical to do an evacuation exercise at this hour, it was useless.

She began to slow down while approaching the hall, noticing that _Naomi _was doing the same, probably wondering what the fuck was going on. She saw in the blue eyes that she was feeling that something weird was going on too. Naomi moved closer to Emily, not because she was scared or something, no, Naomi Campbell was never scared. She just did that because..she needed to, she couldn't explain more.

They were still walking and finally arrived to the hall. When Emily noticed the guy with a hood on his head and a gun on Pandora's temple, she thought that maybe he hadn't seen them, and maybe they could get back to her office. Or maybe just Naomi could get back and be safe. Emily had never had someone she would protect like that, but with that tall blonde, it was feeling normal for her.

But it was too late. The guy had seen them, and he looked at them with eyes full of determination, then shouted « You, two there ! Come here, don't try to go away or I'll shoot her » , pointing Pandora with his gun. Emily turned back to Naomi, and said, without knowing why « I'm sorry. » The panic in the blue eyes became incomprehension. Finally, after locking a few seconds her gaze in the red head one, Naomi dropped « It's not your fault. It's gonna be fine »

The guy had noticed their immobility, and shouted again, louder: « YOU TWO THERE ! COME NOW AND LAY ON THE FUCKING FLOOR ! NOW ! »

Emily felt panic going through her blood, in every inch of her body, and she tried to calm down.

_Nothing would happen. Everything would be fine and everybody would forget what happened this day, it wouldn't even be mentioned on the newspaper or anything, it would just be sorted out in an hour, like in the moves._ But, in herself she couldn't believe what she was saying, she knew that something really _really _bad was happening, she knew that life was never like in the movies, she knew that the only thing she could do was hoping. Hoping for nothing bad to happen. She doesn't needed that. Not now.

On her side, Naomi was trying to stay calm too. Nothing like that had ever happened to her but she knew that the worst she could do was freaking out and acting without thinking. If everybody in this room would do that, nothing bad would happen. But she could feel that the red head near to her _was_ freaking out, and she couldn't do anything about it. She suddenly feel like she should hug Emily, to make her relax, and to make herself relax as well. WHAT ? Thought Naomi so loud in her head that she could almost had said it. She just couldn't feel that way about somebody, she mustn't. But she knew she hadn't really the choice.

They began to walk side by side, and finally arrived in front of Pandora who, even with a gun on her temple, gave them an encouraging gaze.

They finally knelt down, then lay on their belly. While doing that, Emily's hand caught Naomi's one and when the red head noticed that her hand was laying on Naomi's one, she blushed and began to remove it. She was stopped by the blonde's hand who was clung to her. Emily frowned and looked in Naomi's eyes to try to understand. In the blue eyes depth, she saw fear, but she saw something she just couldn't explain.

She had understood. Naomi needed to keep her hand to not freak out, and Emily knew that she wanted the same.

**Thanks for reading, don't forget to review :)**


	3. Bad Memories

**We could be dead in the second**

Bad memories

**Thanks to As & smcl for reviewing this story, you make me want to continue like that, and even harder ! Hope you'll like it, and if you do, please review.**

Effy was wondering how the fate could be twisted like this. Twisted so much that in her own work office, she had to talk with Freddie Mc Lair, a guy who'd fallen in love with her and from whom she had broken the heart less than a year ago.

She didn't know why but their relationship just didn't meant to be. She can just feel it in her bones when she was with him. He was all lovely and she could see in her eyes care, happiness and real, real love. The thing is that she knew that she wasn't feeling the same way about him. She knew that, even if she really cared about him, even if she was there for him when he got problems with her sister, what she was feeling about him wasn't true love.

They had been together for about 4 years. Effy knew that she should had broken up earlier, cause the more she was staying with him, the more it'll hurt him when she would decided to stop. But when she was with him, she was feeling weak, and she had needed to be really strong again before taking this decision.

For the first time she had admitted to herself that when she was with him, she was feeling weak. She knew that it wasn't because she was in love with him, it was just that when she was looking deeply in his eyes, all the love she could feel was making her weak, making her want to be in love.

But love doesn't work like that. She had tried, really, she had really tried to convince herself that she was in love with him, that he was all she needed, that they were made for each other, but it didn't had worked. Sometimes she was really feeling good with him, comfortable, relaxed and happy..But it wasn't enough for her. What she was waiting for in a true love relationship was the feeling of completeness, fulfilment.. She knew that she was demanding, too much maybe..But she needed something real, something she could feel in her bones.

The thing was that sometimes, when she was thinking about it, she was wondering if she wasn't waiting for something that didn't even exist, some chimera that people was talking about without really know something about it. She was thinking that she may be not be one of the people that would have that, maybe she just didn't deserve it. But when she was thinking that, a little voice in herself was screaming that everybody could get that, that she was deserving that just as much as anybody else, that_ it_ was existing.

For the first year she had been with Freddie, she thought she was really in love. Her heart was jumping when he was looking at her, she was shivering when he was touching her hand..But she noticed that if she didn't wanted her heart to jump, if she wasn't telling herself that she was gonna shiver when he would hold her hand, noting was happening. She was disappointed when she felt that way for the first time, feeling that she wasn't really in love with him. She had became a little distant with him and she could see in his eyes the incomprehension when she didn't want to kiss him or to hold his hand. But she knew that he was fragile. After his mum's death, he had become really sensitive and when she was seeing all this pain in his eyes, she couldn't stand it. So she learnt how to pretend.

She knew that it wasn't fair for him, she knew that and it was really hurting her. But she just couldn't stop watching him being happy, smiling at her, she just couldn't stop. She wanted him to be happy, really, but she knew that she wasn't the person who would make him feel this way, and she was sorry about it, because she knew that he was thinking that she was the one who could make his happiness. When she had been leaving Bristol a few days to go and see her dad in London, he just seemed so depressed. And when she got back, it was worse. He seemed to be dependent of her, just the way she didn't want him to be. Cause she knew that when people began to be dependent of her, she had to stop seeing them, talking to them. She just couldn't stand people being dependent of her. It wasn't normal. She wasn't somebody special, just a girl with mysterious blue eyes and a messed up head. That was all she was. Nothing more.

When she had left him, she felt guilty for at least one month, if it wasn't more. But she knew she hadn't get the choice. It was what she needed to do, for them. For him. For her.

Once she had broke up with him, she just cried for about a whole week . She can remember the feeling of sinking in her own tears. Whenever she tried to imagine how he could feel, it was bringing tears to her eyes again. She never wanted to feel that way for someone , or to make someone feel that way for her, ever again.

He just wanted to feel the way he'd felt when they'd been together for ever. Freddie Mc Lair knew that it was impossible, that it would never happen again, but he just couldn't help himself for wanting it.

When he first met her, at a party, he immediately fell in love with her. When he saw her dancing in the middle of the crowd, he couldn't look at anybody else. He couldn't quite describe why he was feeling this with her and not another girl dancing at this party, but he just did.

At the party, he had asked everyone to know the name of that beautiful girl. Nobody was answering him, they were just way too drunk, or they didn't know. The last girl he had asked was a nice red head who didn't seem to drunk. She had answered him with a smile « Effy. She's cute but watch out for your heart. »

He hadn't understood why a girl he didn't even know was telling him that, but at least he got the name he was searching for.

Later in the night, as he was walking in one of the bedrooms of the house, he had stumbled in a couple kissing in the corridor, he had mumbled a « sorry » but before he had the time to return from where he was coming from, a voice had called him « Hey, it's nothing, don't worry », and without knowing the voice he knew to who it was belonging. He turned his head towards the couple and Effy was smiling at him. He hadn't the time to say something else that she had disappeared with the guy in one of the rooms. He had only the time to see her wink and he smiled before going back to the party.

Since that, he knew that he was really in love with her. He had noticed his heart bursting when she had smiled to him and he knew what feeling was going through his veins. Love. Pure , real love.

When they had met another time, he didn't hesitate and asked for her number. She smiled again and gave him. A month later they wee officially together as a couple.

When they kissed for the first time, it was the best thing he had ever felt. Her soft lips in his, their tongues playing..He knew that it was what he had always dreamed of. When they made love for the first time, he felt incredibly happy, ecstatic. Every time they were doing something new, he was looking in her eyes to know how she felt and he was feeling the same way. Every little thing they used to do without minding it became a way to prove his feelings, even if it was only a breakfast, or compliment.

Their first year together was, for him, the best year he had ever lived. They were just happy, in love and he felt like this was perfection, and he was hoping, praying, that this would last for ever.

It didn't. One day, Effy became distant. He didn't know why, he had tried to find reasons to explain that but he didn't. That day he had found her gone in her thoughts, sitting on their bed, she had been there for about 3 or 4 hours when he decided to ask her what was going on. He hadn't had an answer, she was still on the bed, staring into the void, there without really being there.

He had had to shake her up like three times before she came back. And when she did, she just smiled to him. He asked her again what the fuck she was doing, and she had simply answered « Well, just a bit of thinking, y'know ». During two weeks after that, she rejected him when he wanted to kiss her, to hold her hand.. She was really distant and it was driving Freddie mad. But the worst thing was that he knew that he couldn't do anything about it.

Then, suddenly, after the two hardest weeks of their relationship, she was 'there' again. She was holding his hand with a big smile, kissing him much more than before, and was telling everyday that she loved him.

But he had rapidly noticed that there was something weird. He just knew that all of this was ringing false.

He knew that she was pretending, that when she was smiling at him there wasn't happiness in her eyes. He was really hurting him, and even more because he didn't why she was doing that. But then he understood that she was doing that because she didn't want him to suffer. She was doing that for him.

So, he learnt to pretend too, even if sometimes he couldn't help himself being really happy while holding her. Sometimes he was forgetting all about the fact that she wasn't really smiling, she wasn't really comfortable in his arms, she wasn't really in love with him. He had succeed to handle this situation for three years. But it was becoming harder and harder. He knew that she knew that too. And though it was breaking his heart, a part of him was relieved that this nightmare had ended.

He had learnt how to live without her near to him, to eat alone, to sleep in an empty bed..He had learnt and it had made him stronger. But now, just because of the loan he needed, now, in _her _office, everything was coming back. Especially his feelings. And now he was understanding what the redhead had said to him.

He had asked the bank for a appointment because he needed a loan to extend his garage' local, because business was working for him better than he had expected, and he really need his garage to be bigger. F only he could have known that the bank adviser he'll met would be the girl he had loved the most about the world..

When he came in her office, he had quickly noticed her nervousness and her desire to finish quickly with him. He wanted the same actually, but even if he was trying to concentrate on his loan, he couldn't stop staring at her, and the only time he caught her gaze, he saw in it all the guilt you could imagine.

_Oh, for God's sake, why doesn't he stop looking at me ? _, was thinking Effy, trying to make the faster she could to give him his _fucking _loan. She could feel his gaze all over her, all the time, and it was making her freaking out, and even if she tried to concentrate, she was so tense that she couldn't find the papers he had to fill in. When she got them at least, she handed them to him with an horrible fake smile, and thought "_please fill these fast. The sooner would be the better_". She then saw his face, full of surprised, and understood that she had said it out loud.

Whoa, he couldn't even believe that she had actually said that. The words had slipped by accident, obviously, but she still had thought that at least..However. Freddie was actually thinking that too, so it didn't really matter. He was filling all these boring papers the faster he could, but couldn't get concentrate. Added to Effy who was already pretty 'disturbing' him, a man was shouting from the hall of the bank. He shouted again, louder, and made Freddie skid. He sighed, began to write again, but was interrupted by another noise, closer.

He raised his head towards Effy and noticed she wasn't there anymore. "_What's the..?_" he said while seeing her disappearing behind the door.

Effy was gone because of the noise, to see what the eff was going on, but more than that, she really needed some fresh air after the 45mn she had been spending with Freddie. She was walking towards the hall, it was about 6 o'clock and she was wondering what the hell could make so much noise. When she arrived there, she saw a lot of things. Too many in a too short time for her nerves.

There was a man with a hood on his head who was threatening Pandora, her best friend she was loving more than anything, with a gun. In the floor there was 5 persons, she could see Emily's red head, and one another co-worker but before she could try to understand what was happening, the man shouted her something she couldn't hear. She suddenly felt dizzy, her legs faded and she collapsed, ready to feel the floor. She didn't feel it. Somebody's was there to catch her.

Freddie knew that he was right to follow Effy when he saw her collapsed and managed to catch her just in time. She needed sugar, she hadn't probably eaten much as he know her, and with the stress she had collapsed. He was ready to ask someone for sugar but when he raised his head, his gaze focused on the gun the man was holding. Everybody was holding their breath.

The man said "_Lay down on the floor of I kill her. Now_"

Freddie couldn't think and and said "_But...she needs something..she's sick, you can't just let her like._."

" _I say it one more time. Lay down on the floor. I'm gonna take care of her._" replied the man in an threatening tone.

"Okay. Okay" Freddie laid down on the floor, and watched the man coming near Effy, still holding his hostage.

"Does anybody have sugar ?" asked the man. Everybody was looking at each other.

"I...I do." said an hesitant voice. Freddie saw that it was belonging to a brown haired girl on the floor .

"Right. Give me it. But don't try to escape or I'll shoot her, remember ?" the man said while nodding towards..Pandora, that was her name, Freddie remembered. She was Effy's best friend.

"Here."the girl handed a little bag of sugar.

The man took it and nodded. He opened it and poured it in Effy's half opened mouth.

She was coming back, Freddie saw panic in her eyes, she shouldn't probably understand what was going on. But, it seems like she was because she laid on the floor and took a long breath. He turned his head to see who was next to him. And then he saw her. The red head of the party was there too. _What a twisted fate_, he thought.

**Thanks for reading, please review, and if you want follow me on twitter Juliett_B ;) xx**


	4. Bad Try

**We could be dead in the second**

**Bad Try**

**Thanks for those who reviewed. I'm sorry this chapter's a bit late but it was hard to write, cause of the sudden lack of inspiration and the homework to do. Hope you'll like it anyway :)**

Panda still didn't understand how their lives can have tumbled in only one second. How the day before was one of the most ordinary day she had known, and how today was changing everything.

She had thought that this kind of thing only could happen in films or TV Show, and that even if it would happen in real world, the police would be there in, like, 3 minutes and would arrest the man and they could all get back to their lives. But the police wasn't there, maybe they would never come and all of them would die..Panda drove out these thought of her mind. The situation was bad enough, she didn't needed to aggravate her stress.

She couldn't say how many minutes had passed since she felt that cold on her temple, and the voice in her hear. She just had noticed that more the time was passing, more there was people lying on the floor.

The first ones had been Emily and a tall blond young woman. She had tried to give an hopeful gaze to the red-head, and she saw that her friend had given her it back.

She had also noticed that the blond woman seemed to be scared, that was normal, but she did seemed worried too, especially when she was looking at Emily. The red-head got the same feelings in her eyes when she was looking towards the blond. When Panda had noticed that, she didn't know why, but she felt that the two of them were caring about each other, like, really caring, and it had her making smile.

Then, had came one of her co-workers, Jake, and his client, an old, bent man. They both seemed really, really panicked. Jake was nice and though they never had really spoke, she knew he was a great man. He had a wife and a young child that he was telling about to people all the time. His client seemed freaked out, and when the man had ordered them to lay down on the floor, his joints creaked with an awful noise.

Then finally, had came Effy, caught by Freddie when she was going to fall on the floor. The man had given her some sugar and it had taken a while before she came back and laid down on the floor too. Panda had noticed that when she had opened her eyes, Effy seemed really lost, really scared, and Panda knew that there was a problem cause Effy never looked like that.

From where she was, standing behind her desk, she could see all the six person who were lying down on the hall floor. She saw Freddie, trying to find Effy's gaze, but she had closed her eyes. She saw Jake and his client who were kind of praying. She looked at Emily and noticed that her hand was resting on the blond fingers. She smiled again. Suddenly the old man knelt and asked the man if he could stop this and let them go.

Everybody raised their heads towards him, with an big hope. Only Emily hadn't got hope on her face, she was worrying. Freddie too hadn't got hope in his eyes, he was determinate. Determinate to do what ? wondered Panda. She couldn't thought more about it as she heard that the man behind her was talking.

She could feel his breath on her neck when he said «_ I won't let you go. Not now. I need the money. And I'm not stupid, I know that if I do, you'll call the police and I'll be arrested and put in jail. I'm sorry but I won't let you ruin my plan. If you do what I say, you'll all stay alive._ »Everybody sighed, disappointed.

Panda suddenly realised that she knew that voice. She didn't noticed it before because the man was only shouting or saying short stuff. Now, she knew that she really knew that voice. But she didn't know to who it was belonging. If only she could remember, it'd be simpler. Actually, reasoned Panda, it wouldn't change anything. Even if she knew who it was, she couldn't do anything to stop him or to tell her friends. But she felt that she HAD to remember who this voice was belonging. She felt that it was really important.

Emily was feeling like hours had passed on. But she knew that she and Naomi were only on this floor since about 10 minutes. She knew she should be freaking out, but looking in the beautiful blue eyes in front of her was keeping her calm. She didn't know why a girl she didn't know an hour ago could make her feel like that, but actually, she wasn't hating that feeling.

She was , like, literally diving in the blue eyes. And every time she had tried to look somewhere else, she just hadn't got the strength to do it, because Naomi's eyes were attracted her too much. Emily knew it wasn't normal, but curiously, she wasn't worrying about it like she used to do when she felt like that. The only thing that was making her worrying was , obviously, the situation in which they were. And actually, more than the situation itself, she was worrying about Naomi.

She was hoping that all this mess would stop quickly. She was hoping that in an hour, or even less, they would all go back to normal, they would all be alive, and safe. She was hoping more than everything that Naomi would be safe, than after that, they could get to know each other or even date.

She didn't have a fucking clue about why she was thinking about dating her client as the bank was taken in hostage, but the only thing she knew, or actually, the only thing she was feeling was that her and Naomi had a common fate, that they were meant to be together.

Her hand was still resting on the blond's one and feeling the warmth of it was making Emily feel so calm.

She was so far away in her thoughts that it took her a few seconds to notice that the panic had came back in the blue eyes in front of her. She frowned and caressed a bit Naomi's hand with her thumb, hoping that the blond wouldn't remove it.

She took a long breath and saw Naomi was doing the same. The blue eyes weren't full of panic anymore, they were full of trust and of hope. Naomi smiled and Emily felt her heart bursting. It was the first time in her whole life that she felt like someone had her life in her hand, and the first time that someone's smile could make her heart burst.

When Emily smiled back with a genuine smile, Naomi couldn't think anymore. She still couldn't believe how someone, just by their gaze, by their voice, by their smile, could make her feel so good. She didn't want to think about, to admit it but she knew that these butterflies in her stomach when she was seeing the read head in front of her smiling were the reflection of a feeling. But she still didn't want to say the word of that feeling in herself. Because she knew that if she did, she wouldn't just can stand it. And it was not the moment to be sad or depressed. It wasn't the moment to think about the past. To think how her love life had been shit before.

It was pretty simple actually. Naomi's Campbell's love life had been pretty empty until her course, she had hung out with a few boys, shagged two or three of them, but there was never any feelings in it. She had thought that life would always been like that, hanging out with some people, shagging them sometimes.

She thought this was pretty normal, that every girl of her age was like her. She thaught that the films about love and amazing feelings were just here for make dreaming people, that nothing of that shit was with a few boys, shagged two or three of them, but there was never any feelings in it. She had thought that life would always been like that, hanging out with some people, shagging them sometimes.

She thought this was pretty normal, that every girl of her age was like her. She thaught that the films about love and amazing feelings were just here for make dreaming people, that nothing of that shit was real.

That's why she had never really care about anyone. In highschool, she had tried to be one of the cool girls, to be friendly, to have friends, but after two years of pretending she had been tired and had decided to stay alone. Curiously, it's when she had decided that, that she met some people who became real friends to her.

It didn't last. When they went to college, they suddenly became the 'it girls' and the 'cute boys', and when she had tried to know why there were acting like that, the only answer she had got was laughs.

So for the two years of college, she decided to not care about anyone. She did, and though she was missing talking to people sometimes, she quickly remembered how bad had turned these people and how much they had hurt her. But during the summer after her last year of college, everything had changed. She had met amazing people and discovered how good it was to care about people and that they care about you. This summer was the best she had ever lived. But as good things never last, all of them had been going to differents universities and they if they kept talking during their first year, everyone was too busy in their new life to care about people they didn't see anymore.

She had been so sad when they had move on , when she was the only one to stay in Bristol. She had been feeling so lonely. Then she had met Jack. He was her first love. They had met in the ecologists association they were both in. Everything with him was feeling so comfortable. Naomi was insidly hoping that it would last for ever. But it didn' day, Jack called her and asked her to meet at their favorite restaurant. After 2 years together, she was hoping for something great, like a journey in India, their favorite country or something like that.

But no, he had told her that, he was sorry about it, but his feelings for her weren't as strong as they had been before, that it was better for them to break up now because if they wouldn't they would both realy suffer. She had been so shocked, breathless that she didn't even answered when he asked her if she was okay with that. She just nodded, because she knew that even if she said no, it wouldn't change his mind. So she simply had nodded, he had kissed her on the forehead and he was gone.

After that, she had forbidden herself to fall in love with somebody because she could still remember in her heart how it was feeling to be broken. So she had had a few relationships but never with people she loved. She knew that it was bad, but she just couldn't do otherwise, she wouldn't stand to be broken again. As something moved in front of her eyes, she came back to the reality. And what a reality. Being taken in hostage on a Friday's evening wasn't exactly her favorite hobby. But she didn't had the choice once again.

She clapped her eyes and stare again at the brown in front of her. All she could see in front of her eyes was brown. And red. She smiled as to say that she was sorry to be lost in her thoughts, and Emily smiled back. Curiously, when she was lost in the chocolate eyes, she wasn't scared. She was feeling comfortable, like nothing bad would happen. But she still didn't want to admit that word in her head. She wasn't ready for that.

Effy didn't wanted to reopen her eyes. When she had opened it, she hadn't understood anything of what was happening. Why were there people lying on the floor ? Why was there a man with a gun pointed on her best friend's head ? She couldn't had seen more because she had closed her eyes. There was way too much information getting on her brain. She didn't need to freak out.

She tried to remember what could had happened. The second before, she was in her office, wiating for next client to come, and now she was there. What the fuck was going on ? How couldn't she remember something ? She knew that, at five o'clock P.M she was waiting for her client, and she had seen, when she had briefly opened her eyes, that it was now about a quarter past six. How could she just had forgotten, like, more than one hour ? All these questions without any answers were frustrating because everytime she was trying to find some memory of what had happened during that hour, all she was feeling was blur, blur all over her head.

Wondering had became to give her a headache so she decided to stop. She took a long breath, and opened her eyes. What she saw was making her more lost that she was. What she could see, lying on her belly, her head turned to the right, who she could see was Freddie Mc Lair. What did her ex boyfriend was doing here ? What were they all, cause she had noticed others people, what were they all doing here ? A simple answer came through her mine. They were taking in hostage.

She looked in Freddie's eyes and saw worry and panic. She started to wonder what had happened the hour before with him. What could had happened. Had he came to see her, to ask her to be with him again ?

No, that wasn't that. She knew, insidly, that he came for something else but she just couldn't remember. She looked a bit around her and noticed her co-worker Jake, who was lying on the floor too. She also noticed an old man near to him. She raised a bit her head to try to see who was behind Freddie. She could only saw red hair and she knew that it was Emily. She closed her eyes again and decided to wait for the situation to evoluate. In a good way, she was hoping.

When Freddie saw Effy's blue eyes closing again, he sighed and decided that it was time to do somtehing.

He couldn't just stand there and wait for something to happen. He had done that too many times. But now, something needed to happen. They just couldn't stay there waiting for police to arrive (if they would one day). He raised his head and coughed, just loud enough for the man to notice him.

The man frowned and Freddie began to talk, and knelt. "_Man, you really don't need to do that. I mean, you can just take the money you want and let us go. You can just run away. No one of us will call the police, okay ?_" Everybody in the hall was whispering. Emily frowned. Naomi stopped breathing. Effy opened her eyes.

"_I could do that, it's true. But, firstly, I don't trust any of you. Secondly, I don't want to ran away. I want to make you know how it feels to be detained, jailed. Because good, perfect people as you had never feel like that. It's always poor people that are jailed, so let's invert things."_

Freddie was surprised. He could have never guess that the man would answer that. However, he decided to continue his trying.

"-I_ can understand, really. I know our society is unfair, but you won't make things change by taking great people in hostage, you know. It'll make things worse_." The man sighed and continued to talk.

"- _I don't think you can understand, man. What do you do in your life ? I bet it's something easy, and you get a lot of money for that._" Freddie got up and point his dungarees.

"_You're serious man ? I work in the garage I created by myself. It's not easy and I don't get that much if I need to go to the bank because I need a loan. So please, let us go. We're just like you, people who try to live their lives as they can. Please._" The man put his arms around Pandora's neck and pointed his gun towards Freddie.

"_I won't. So, stop trying man. Stop fucking talking_." Freddie stood there, and didn't gave up.

" _Why that ? I'm not gonna stop you know, I'm gonna try, for all the people here, even if I don't know them._"

"_SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LAY ON THE FLOOR !_" shouted the man, while turning down the safety catch of his gun. "_I'm not joking. I won't let you go. It's too soon. So stop, or I'll have to shoot you._"

Freddie knew he hadn't got the choice. He laid back to the floor ans felt all the tense going through the people. Something had got to . Otherwise, God knows how it would finish. He looked towards Effy and decided that he hadn't any other choice but waiting.

**Thanks for reading it, please, please REVIEW . (and if you want follow me Juliett_B ) xx**


	5. Bad Moments

**We could be dead in the second**

**Hello readers, I know it's been ages since the last chapter, but you know, life, homework, school, family..And lack of inspiration. But now I'm back with a new chapter, I hope you'll like it, please review :) xx**

**Bad Moment**

The adrenaline. The fear. The strength. The weakness. The power. The incapacity. The success. The failure. All these feelings that were running through his veins, that were making him feel alive.

It was all for this. It was actually just for this that he was still doing this job. Job. He couldn't even get used to this word. It wasn't a job for him, it wasn't really one. For him, a job was something boring, where you were sitting behind your desk and paid to to some stuff on a computer. And that wasn't what he was doing. Not at al. Every day he was 'working' he didn't know if he was going to get back home alive. There was no safety, no plans. He had to live every day, enjoying what he could have and don't plan any future. He was used to this way of living. Actually, he had always lived like that, as far as he could remember.

When he was a child, he was the one who was doing screwing up all the time, the leader who was causing trouble to the people he didn't like. He was the one who was fighting, always. The one punished. The one who was making laugh his whole class when he was imitating their teacher.

But he was the one who hadn't a dream job. The one who was staying silent when the teacher was asking « What do you want to do later ? ». While his comrades were saying 'fireman', 'cowboy' or 'world champion ', he didn't had any idea of what he was supposed to say. So to not be ashamed, he was repeating what the others were saying. Fireman or cowboy, did it matter ?

When he had grown up, when he was in high school, he still didn't know what to do, he was shrugging when the teachers were asking him. He wasn't a good pupil, really not. He had tried, so many times, but disappointments by disappointments, he had decided to just live his life. To just enjoy. And that was everything he had done since that moment. The more the time was passing, the more he was getting close to the limits. But the limits were shit, they were nothing more than words which were stopping him from living. So he didn't care anymore. About anything. He was smoking weed, drinking any sort of alcohol, shagging any girl that wanted to, fighting with any tosser that was pissing him off.

He just didn't care anymore. Little by little he had lost the few friends he had. At the beginning, it was some shitty people that didn't really mattered. But at the end, when he was taking MDMA, got expelled, at the end, he had lost his best mates.

JJ first, because he just couldn't 'stand this anymore', because he was 'tired of being mocked by someone who wasn't his friend anymore, only a miserable fucker'.

He had only answered to JJ that he wasn't a pussy. And then he didn't had seen him anymore.

But he wasn't hurt. Well, not that much. But he couldn't let himself go, he just pretended that it didn't matter, though he knew it was everything but true.

Then he had lost the person he cared the most about. And as he didn't care about anyone or anything, it was meaning a lot. He had always, honestly thought that Freddie and him would stay best mates for ever. Really. But he was wrong.

Freddie was just tired of him. Tired of having to bail him out every time, to have to be there for someone who wasn't there for him.

He could understand, he really could. But he just couldn't change the way he was. Actually, he could have but wasn't seeing the point of caring, being hurt, and freaked out by feelings. Freddie had waited for him to make this effort. But after waiting without getting anything in return, he had gave up. And was gone. He had drunk himself the most he could when he realised that Freddie would not forgive him, that this time, he wouldn't show up at the shed frowning, that he wouldn't come back. Now he was alone. Completely fucking alone.

He knew that, from this moment, he should had stop all this shit. He should had stop drinking more and more, shagging strangers, fighting with every man who was on his way or taking all sorts of drugs. He had tried, he had really tried, but it was hurting so much, and it was worse without any way to escape from it. He quickly got back to his bad habits, but it was the easier thing to do.

And since that, bad things had started to happen. Really bad things. He had learned that laws weren't only words.

He had been sent to different types of jail for minor. At the beginning it was only for some little things. He had been sent two times to Ashfield, a Youth detention centre. The first time he had stayed 3 months, after being found drunk, in a street when he was 16. The second time, he was 17 and had stayed 6 months, because he had run away from his mother's house.

He didn't really mind, didn't really understand that he had to stop. Because in that centre, it wasn't hard, you were having lessons, doing sports and all that kind of boring stuff. It wasn't funny of course, but it wasn't that horrible.

But he hadn't stopped doing all this shit. He had been going even more far. And one day he had been caught. With cannabis. And he wasn't minor anymore. He could had stayed five years or even more in prison, but his lawyer had managed to coax the judge, saying that he had family difficulties and stuff. The sentence had been of 3 years of prison, and as he had shown a good behaviour, he was released with an electronic tag after two years.

The two years he had spent in prison were the worst of his life. He wasn't some fun with people of his age anymore, he was real prison. Smelly, harsh, dangerous prison. He was shut in with psychos, murderers, rapists, mentally ill people. He didn't know how he had survived, him, the little snooty kid who thought he was a man. But he had survived. He had learned to shut up, to be discreet, even invisible. Because he knew he was the only way he would get off of there.

He didn't had much memories about these two years. Maybe his brain has erased everything. It was better like this anyway. Only one day was staying clear in his mind when he was thinking about jail.

He was the moment where his life has begun to change. He could remember everything, every detail of it.

It was the 700th day of his imprisonment. The 100th week in hell. (Yes, he had been counting, it was one of the things that were helping him to not freak out). He was in his cell, thinking, when the door opened and the officer called him, saying someone was visiting him. While he was walking to the parlour, he was searching for who could come visit him. It couldn't be Freddie or JJ, they didn't know he was here, and actually he didn't know where they were. It couldn't be his mother or his father, there were just two fuckers who didn't care about him. So who could it be ?

When he arrived, he didn't know who the hell what the man he was sitting down in front of. The guy smiled and said "Hi, I'm Hugh Bloom, chief of the SO19".

He didn't know what to answer so he stayed silent, what made frowning the man. "_Do you know what is SO19 ?_"he asked him. Yeah, he knew, it was the 'big' police, the one who was called when there was hostage-taking or stuff like that. He had seen that on TV, and in some films. But why the chief of that kind of thing was here ? There was only one way to know. Answer. "_Yeah, it's police, with the hostage, and all that stuff innit ?_" The man smiled and nodded. "_Yeah. Have you got any idea of why I'm here ?_". He shook his head, hoping that it wasn't for a bad reason.

"_It's because our unit is searching for young men to join it. I know it can seem weird to search men who would want to be in police, here, in prison, but we want to give people a chance. Young people __preferably. And, we're doing sort of 'special offer' for them. It means that if you're 20 or about, we give you a chance to join the S019 without having to spend 3 years studying rules. If you want to join, you'll just have to study on year and a half, and then, after one more year of practical training, you can get in the real action. So I'm here because I think this could help you. Sorting you out of all that bad things. It's all your choice now._"

He couldn't believe it. Him, who had been several times in detention, had breaking the laws, he was asking to join the fucking police. But, did they really know about all he had done ? He had to ask that, to be sure. "_But, I mean..I've got a record, y'know..I've been two times in Ashfield..so.._"

The man smiled "It doesn't matter if you really interested in joining us, if you really are reasoned to do it, we'll pass through it. So..do you accept my offer or not ? I'm sorry to urge you, but we need to know who's accepting immediately."

It was a great chance, an amazing chance to start a new life, to make his mum proud of who he was. He couldn't lose this chance. He had already lost many. So, he smiled hesitantly, and said "Right. I..I'm okay to do that. I accept to join your unit." The man's face lit up with a genuine smile. "That is great, boy. Really great. I'll contact you next month, after your release." he got up and held out his hand. They shook hands and the chief left.

James Cook was smiling while thinking about this moment when everything had changed. The two years of studying and training had been hard but he had done it. And now he was getting in the action. The Bristol's Bank had been taken in hostage by a man. And now, it was his turn to play.

It had been now more than half an hour since the alarm had been sparked by Pandora Moon.

And there was still no any signs of the police. It was worrying, what was going to happen to them ? Will the man just release them ? Will they shoot them ? Lying on the floor, they didn't know what to hope, if they could hope at last. Everyone was looking at each other, trying to not freak out, trying to calm down but it was just..impossible.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the Bank's door, who was closed. This knock made the man jump. He got up, still pressing his gun on Panda temple. He shouted "_WHAT THE FUCK ? WHO IS IT ?_"

Some noises were heard, there wasn't only one person behind the door, there was a lot. "_WHO IS IT ?_" asked again the man. Someone answered but not loud enough to be heard from the inside of the bank. "_LOUDER _!" shouted the man. Everybody in the room was whispering, making things way more difficult. "_AND YOU ALL, SHUT THE FUCK UP !_" Everything became silent.

And this time everybody could hear clearly what the person behind the door was saying, though it was still muffled. "_It's the police. Let the hostages go. Everything is gonna be alright_."

The man with the hood laughed and shouted "_I WON'T LET THEM GO. NOT NOW_."

Noise behind the door again, it seems that this answer wasn't in the police's plans. "_Please, don't do a mistake. They are innocent. Stop now and everything will be alright_." the policeman tried.

"_FOR THE FUCKING LAST TIME, I WON'T LET THEM GO NOW._" Tense was obvious in the man's voice. He was beginning to be angry, and that wasn't really a good thing. "_Right_" muffled one from behind the door. "_I propose we make a deal. You let go the weakest person in the bank, and one of our man will comes to take his spot. Is that okay ?_"

"Fine" answered the man, making whisper everybody. "You better not want to fuck with me or bad things will happen". The whisper grew louder. "Don't worry. You're gonna take the person you want to go out near the door. Then you'll open and our man will come in. Okay ?"

The man looked at everybody, trying to guess who could be the weakest. His look fell on a old man.

"You !" he said. "Stand up." The old man got up with difficulties and looked around at all the others people. He began to move when he was stopped by a strong arm. The hostage taker had made his way towards him, while still holding his left hand with his gun on Pandora's neck. He took the old man's arm and they began to walk towards the door. Suddenly, the man turned his back and pointed his gun at everybody who was still lying on the floor. "You don't fucking move."

He opened the Bank's door, just enough to let go the old man, who immediately ran far from it.

A man with the police uniform, and a bullet proof vest made his way towards the door. "Take off the bulletproof thing. And throw down all your guns." ordered the man with the hood.

The policeman did so, took a long breath, and slipped in the bank, followed closely by the hostage-taker. He threw a long look at all the people lying on the floor. He clenched fists and smiled when he saw the tattoo he had kept onto his left hand. It was just four letters wrote in his flesh with black ink., just to make him remember who he really was. He looked at it one more time. **COOK.** Now it was his turn to play.

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	6. Bad Friend

**We could be dead in the second**

**New chapter ! Updated sooner than I thought actually, you can thank the impatient reader that is my girlfriend, who harassed me a lot because she wanted the next chapter x) **

**Anyway, so here's the new chapter, hope you'll like it, Please hit the REVIEW button after reading :)**

**Bad Friend**

They were five. Five people were lying on the floor, without the hostage-taker and the girl he was holding, counted Cook. Three women, Two men. One men was alone, a bit separate from the others. He had to be the one who was with the old man. Closer to him, there were a couple, but the girl was looking away from the man. And a few meters on the right, two girls were lying really close, staring at each other. He couldn't see really well if the people were alright, and he had to know, it was his job, so he decided to ask the man "_Can I check if they are all alright ? I mean, I have to be sure they are still alive, y'know. I'm just going to see each one of them a few seconds, I won't try anything. Okay ?_" The man locked his dark eyes in Cook's ones. "_Alright. Be quick_."

The policeman nodded, and began to walk slowly to the hostages that were the closest to him, the couple. Suddenly, the man who was lying down on the floor raised his head, and Cook immediately recognized him. Freddie. What the hell was he doing here ? Was she his girlfriend ? She didn't really looked like his sister Karen, so the woman had to be his girlfriend. Hoping he wasn't married. No, he couldn't. They were only 24. He couldn't..However. The man with the hood had noticed the sudden stop of the policeman. He frowned and asked "_Everything is okay, right ?_" Cook turned his head towards him and replied "_Yeah, Yeah_."

Freddie was frowning too. He seemed to be worrying for that girl, really worrying. Cook came closer to him and knelt down. He whispered "_Ev'rythin's okay mate ?_" He would have liked to talk more with his old friend, but the conditions weren't good for it. Freddie didn't really seemed to be happy to see his old friend. But Cook could understand. Firstly, their friendship hadn't really ended well. Secondly, this wasn't really the time for small talk conversations. His friend nodded and gave a look towards the woman next to him, muttering the words "_Take care bout her._"

Cook nodded, took a step, and crouch in front of the lying girl. He couldn't see her well because she had placed her arm in front of her face. He put one hand on her shoulder and shook her gently. She moaned weakly. He approached a bit, and whispered in her ear. "_Are you okay ?_"

She took a long breath and removed her arm, revealing two big blue eyes full of water. His heart stopped, his throat became dry, and his brain was frozen. He blinked a few times before he could feel everything again. He took a long breath and looked into the blue eyes. Now, his heart was beating faster and faster. _What's the fuck is happenin to me ?_ He was thinking. He swallowed. He didn't know what was happening, but he had to do his job and checked that the girl was alright.

When he wanted to ask her, not a word went out from his mouth. He frowned, and tried again. "_Are..Are you..okay ?_" His voice was ridiculously low and tensed. She swallowed, and answered with a voice even lower "_I...I dunno. What is going on ? I...I don't understand. I.._" She began to cry and he felt his heart break. He wasn't usually so sensitive about people crying because, in one year he had seen lots of people crying, and never, even when he had to announced someone's death, never he felt so weak.

Weakness. He thought he had erased this word from his brain, since he had joined the SO19. But it seems like it wasn't true. He didn't want to be weak, to feel like that. This feeling had been the reason why he had avoided relationships and had always did one night fucks. He couldn't let himself being weak once again. It wasn't possible. Otherwise, everything would start again : the drugs, the alcohol, the jail. No. That couldn't happen again. He looked at the woman once again, and tried to stop all this shit that running in his blood. He didn't know what were these feeling, but he didn't want to know. He touched her arms and immediately, an electrical shock covered his body. He shivered and blinked, and when he opened the eyes, he saw in that woman's face that she had felt the same way. He whispered a "_Shhh_" and got up. He called the man "_Man, the woman here doesn't seem okay. I'm gonna check the others and then I'll look after her, alright ?_"

The man's jaw clenched, his eyes became darker and he said "_She's okay. Don't try to fool me. Go to see the others, I'll check her_."

"..Alright." was the only thing Cook could say. Actually, he didn't want this man to come near her, but he hadn't the choice.

He shook his head, gave the woman a last look and walked towards the man who was a little bit further, near the Bank's teller desk, and knelt down. He whispered "_Everything's okay, Sir ?_"

He didn't hear the man's answer, because he had turned his head towards the blue-eyed woman, and the man with the hood who was close to her. Too close. He felt a grip on his arm and turned back his head towards the man, who was looking at him with impatience. "_I'm sorry_" whispered Cook "_I was just checking that he wasn't going to do something to the woman there. You're okay_ ?"

The man nodded briefly, and whispered "_You got guns, right man ? You're gonna shoot him and let us go, right ?_" Cook didn't know what he was supposed to answer. He hadn't guns. He only had one knife in his boot, but he wasn't allowed to tell anyone about it. Because if he said it to the man, maybe this latter would freaked out and tell the hostage-taker, and things could turn bad after that.

He shook his head and got up, the man still frowning at him.

Still walking, he arrived near to the two girls. He knew they had to be young woman but the word 'girls' had popped in his head when he had seen them. One was tall, blond-haired, she was staring at the girl with bright red hair in front of her. The red-head was shorter than the blond. They were breathing calmly, never looking away that in each others eyes. They had to be close. Best friends maybe. Definitely not sisters. Or..girlfriends. Yeah, it had to be that.

Cook came closer to them and crouched near to their hands. He smiled when he saw their fingers intertwined on the floor. Though he was just near them, they hadn't stop staring at each other.

Suddenly, the red-head got on her elbows and raised her head towards him, with questioning chocolate eyes. The blond stayed on the floor, still looking at where the red head was before.

Cook smiled and whispered "_Are you both okay ?_" The short woman raised an eyebrow at the 'both', looked at the blond with a little smile, nodded and added with an husky voice "_Yeah..I..We're fine_."

She had hesitated on the 'we' and the policeman wondered if he was wrong thinking they were a couple. Maybe it was only the situation that had brought them closer to each other...He got up and the red head returned to her previous position and intertwined her fingers with the blond again.

Everybody seemed to be quite okay. It was positive. A little moan remembered him that everybody wasn't okay. The hostage-taker got up to his feet and said "_I think you're right. She doesn't seem okay. Look after her. See what you can do, but don't bring her far, okay ?_" Cook nodded and walked quickly towards the blue-eyed woman. He looked in her eyes, and his heart accelerated once again. He whispered "_What is your name ?_" The girl opened her mouth but closed it immediately, then finally he heard a low "_Eli..Effy_." He smiled hesitantly at her and said "_I'm gonna take care of you now, Effy. Everything's gonna be fine. I think you need some space. I'm gonna carry you a few meters farther, alright ?_" She nodded, but she seemed scared. He helped her to stand up, but she looked like she was gonna fall in pieces. "_Let me help you, princess_" he said, only noticing after that he had called her 'princess'. However, that wasn't the matter. He put one arm under her knees, and just as she was gonna fall, catch her head with his other arm. He carried her until a bench, near a room, still not too far from the rest of the hostages. He would have liked to go a little bit further but the hostage-taker gaze was dark enough to not tempt anything.

It was only when he lay her down on the bench that he noticed Freddie's gaze. There wasn't worry or fear in these brown eyes anymore, there was anger, and..jealousy. Cook wanted to understand why his old friend was looking at him like that but he had to look after the girl first. The girl. She was the reason of those feelings in Freddie's eyes. He would have liked to tell his friend that nothing was gonna happen but that wasn't the moment and, more than that, the feelings running through his blood were proving the contrary. He knelt down next to the bench, towards Effy and shook gently her hand, causing another electrical shock in his body. She opened the eyes again, and turned on her side so she was facing him. She muttered "_Thanks._" and he felt weird things in his stomach. However. He smiled and whispered "So, Effy, how do you feel ?" she took a long breath and answered calmly, "_I feel weird. I..I can't remember what happen between five o'clock and six. I don't understand..I.._" her shoulders began to shake. He put one hand on her shoulder, and wipe a tear under her eye with the other. He didn't want to see her cry. He didn't know why but when she was crying he felt like it wasn't supposed to happen. _Angels don't cry_. Yeah, she was an angel.

He didn't know what to say, because if she had lost some memories, he knew he couldn't help it. But he could try something at last. "_Right. So tell me what do you remember of._" She frowned, visibly trying to find. "_Everything..or just this afternoon ?_" she asked, looking like a little lost child.

"_As you want. As you can_." She bit her bottom lip and then began "So.. I ate at noon in the cafeterias with Panda and Emily.." "_Who are Panda and Emily ?_" He didn't want to cut her off but he needed to know what kind of memories she had lost. She pointed her finger at the girl held by the hostage-taker "_Pandora. My best friend._" Then at the red-head on the floor. "_Emily. One of my friends too_." He smiled and she did so. "_Alright, good, Effy. Then ?_" Her smile got off and she said, frowning "_Work. Boring clients. Fucking shitty clients_." She put her hand in front of her mouth, realizing she shouldn't use this language in front of a man she didn't know. "_It's alright, princess. No problem_." Cook winked. She smiled, then said with a low voice "_I was waiting for my next client. 5 O'clock. Then..I dunno."_Then louder."_Why are we there ? Why Freddie is there ? What's happening ?_" She was almost shouting now. He whispered "_Shhh. Calm down Eff. It's okay._" He put his hand on hers, his heart missing a beat. "_This man had taken you in hostage. I'm from the police, I'm gonna try to sort this out. So, you know Freddie. Are you two like..together ?_" She looked at Cook with a face full of shock. "_What ? Freddie and I, we're not..I can't remember why he's here. He was my boyfriend but we broke up. Why is he here ? Fuck !_" He pressed his hand on hers, hurt by the fact that he had assumed right. They were a couple. Or at least they had been. And that's why Freddie was looking at him like that. He began to speak "_I don't._." But she cut him off. "_And how do You know Freddie ?_"

He did know she was going to ask him that. What could he answer ? That he used to be his best friend in highschool ? That he missed him ? He decided to tell the truth. He usually never revealed his weaknesses, especially to strangers, but something was pushing him to do so. "_We were best mates, a long time ago. But I've been such a fucker so he left_." He noticed that the tone of his voice was really nostalgic but he couldn't help it. Effy locked her eyes in his. The things in his stomach were more here than never. He swallowed. She finally spoke. "_Right. I would like to ask you why you had been such fucker, but it doesn't seem to be the moment.._" She was looking behind him. He turned and saw that the man with the hood was pointing his gun at them. He was still far from them, but he seemed really, really angry. Cook immediately got up, standing between Effy and the man.

"_What's going on man, is there a problem ?_" he asked, cautiously. The man shouted "_YES, THERE'S A FUCKING PROBLEM. YOU SAID SHE WAS DOESN'T SEEM TO BE. YOU FOOLED ME. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TRUST YOU_."

Cook understood that he shouldn't had talked this much with Effy. How could he fix the situation now ? If something would happen, it was all his fault. But he wouldn't give up. He would still try.

He was gonna try. "_Okay. I understand. But, trust me, I've not been fooling you. She was sick. She couldn't remember what happened. So we talked and she's better now. Don't freak out, man. We are all gonna stay calm and go back to our places right ?_" Everything stayed frozen for 2 minutes, which seemed ages to Cook, and probably for the hostages too. Finally, the man put down his gun, and said "_Right. She's coming with me. And you, are gonna lay down next to him_." showing the man near the teller's desk. "_Okay._" Once again, Cook hadn't got the choice. The man caught Effy's wrist and he followed them until his spot. Effy was back near Freddie. Now he could feel it too, the jealousy.

Katie Fitch was enjoying a quiet afternoon in her parents' empty house, drinking a good hot coffee when the phone rang. It had been quite a good day, she liked to be in the house where she had grown up. She had her own flat in London though, but she had taken some time off her job and her mum had proposed to let her stay there while Dad and she would be in Los Angeles. She had accepted because the house felt peaceful and that is what she needed after all she had had to do in London. She had created her own clothes shop with one of her best friend, Karen. The business was doing pretty well, people seemed to like their way to see clothes. Karen was nice, sometimes a bit annoying but who wasn't ? She was seeing her parents, her brother and her sister Emily once a month, it was enough actually because they were all grown up to want their independence. James was studying in some art school, and Emily was a bank advisor. Everything was pretty fine actually.

She was phoning her mum weekly, and her sister two or three times a week. They had stayed close, especially after Jenna had decided that it was time for Emily to go, only because she couldn't accept the fact that her daughter was gay. It was working both ways. Emily was there when Katie was down because of a guy or the shop, she cheered her up. And Katie was there to help Emily dealing with her complicated love life. They needed each other. They had always did, and they would always do. How many night had they spent cheering up the other on the phone ? How many afternoon chatting on their laptop about life ? How many little texts at any hour of the day ?

Katie smiled at these memories. Her family was the most precious thing she had. She'll never give up on them. She had spent a great afternoon, everything was doing pretty well on this day actually, it had almost been perfect. When, suddenly the phone rang, making Katie jump and spill hot coffee all over her new dress.

"Oh Christ fuckin' sake !" she shouted. She didn't swear that much these days, well, at least, less that when she was younger. She knew it wasn't great for a young woman to swear like that, but sometimes, she couldn't help her mouth. She got up and tried to mop the liquid, then finally gave up, and decided to pick up. "What ?" Her tone was mean, not cool. She cleared her throat, and said a "Hello ?" that sounded really more nice. A man spoke "_Hello, Mrs Fitch ?_" She actually could had answered Yes, because, well she was Mrs Fitch wasn't she ? But as she was in her parents house, the man supposedly wanted to talk to her Mum. "_No, it's her daughter. What can I do for you ?_"

She heard the man talking to someone "_It's the daughter_." and the someone answering "_Katie, then._" What ? Who were these people to know her name ? And well, why her ? It could have been Emily, no ? However. The man finally spoke. "_Hello Katie, I'm Hugh Bloom, from the Metropolitan Police. I have to tell you something._" Oh, no. She sat back on the chair. That wasn't a good news. What had happened ? To who ? Her parents ? James ? Emily ? Please not a death, not a death was praying Katie. She finally managed to say a low "_Yes._" The man coughed. It seemed to be hard for him too. That wasn't a good sign, she thought. "_A member of your family, Emily Fitch, your sister._." Oh no. Not Emily. Please not her. Please muttered Katie. "._.had been taken in hostage by a man on her work-place._" She let a long breath out. Her sister wasn't dead. She knew that if Emily had died, she wouldn't have been able to handle it. But, that wasn't a good news either by the way. Her sister had been taken in hostage by some kind of freak. She knew that she only could hope. "_Katie ? Are you still there ?_" asked the man. Obviously, she wasn't okay, but she had to be strong. For her family. For Emily. For herself. "_Yeah, I'm here. What do you want me to do ?_" The man took a long breath, visibly thoughtful. "_Well, you can come over at the Bank, people will be there for you. And you'll know when Emily'll be released...But you can stay at home if you want to. It's as you want Katie._" She would definitely not stay there with dark thoughts, she had to go there, to take her sister in her arms when this nightmare will be over. Hoping it would be soon. But she would not let the fate decide. She wasn't that kind of girl. She was Katie _Fucking_ Fitch, wasn't she ?

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